William jackson black



W. J. BLACK. WHIFFLETREE.

(No Model.)

No. 403,904. Patented May 28. 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM JACKSON BLACK, OF ALVORD, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO JOHN BEYETT AND C. K. THOMAS, OF SAME PLACE.

WHIIFFLETREE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,904, dated May 28, 1889.

Application filed May 5, 1888. Serial No. 272,919. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known thatLWILLIAMJAcKsoNBLAcK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alvord, in the county of Wise and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Whiffletrees, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in whiflietrees.

The object of the invention is to improve the construction of whiflietrees and render them more efficient and durable, and to diminish the cost of their construction.

The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which like letters of reference designate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a whiffletree designed to be attached to a wagon. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the whiffletree, the top of the casing being removed to expose the strengthening-piece of metal; Fig. 4 is a detail plan View of an end of a whiffletree, illustrating the manner in which the ends are bent over and welded together to construct a loop.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A designates awhiflietree consisting of a front bar, a, and a back rod or spring, a, made of suitable material, preferably malleable iron. The ends of the front bar, a, and the back rod or spring, a, meet at an angle and are welded together, making the front bar and the back rod or spring practically integral with each other. At the ends of the whiffletree are formed eyes or openings a in which are secured suitable devices for attaching the traces or singletrees. As most clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the ends of the front bar and the back rod 01' spring are welded together and bent back to construct the eye or opening a and then the parts are again welded together to preserve the construction, thereby passing both the bar and rod around the eye or opening.

In order to strengthen the whiffletrees and render them strong and durable, a strengthening-piece of metal, 13, of a thickness a little less than the diameter of the front bar, a, is placed between the front bar and the back rod or spring and intermediate of the ends of the whiifletree A. The sides of the strengtheningpiece of metal, B, conform to the configuration of the frontbar, a, and the back rod or spring, athat is, its front edge is straight and its back edge is slightly apexiform; and it is secured in place by a casing, 0, made of suitable material, such as sheet-iron or brass.

The casing O is of the same size and shape as the strengthening-piece of metal, B, and it consists of two sides or plates, d and d, one of which is on one side of the strengtheningpiece B, and the other on the other side; and they are connected together by integral straps, (1 located at the rear of the casing and on each side. The sides (1 and d of the casing O are secured to the strengthening-piece B by rivets D. At the front of the whitfletree A the casing extends out beyond the strengthening-piece B and rests on the front bar, a, thereby forming, with the outer edge of the strengthcningpiece B, a groove, (1

In the center of the casing C is a hole, E, passing through the strengthening-piece B and the sides of the casing C, and adapted for the reception of a pin to connect the Whiffietree to the draft-bar of aplow or the tongue of a wagon or carriage, or the like, or in case of a singletree for a suitable device to connect to the end of a doubletree. By this construction the draft is thrown upon the back rod or spring, leaving the front bar loose in the groove d.

The whiffletrees are increased in thickness or bulged out on their under sides around the hole E, whereby the main body of the whiliietree is raised up and enabled to swing clear of the supporting-surface.

From the foregoing description and the ac companying drawings, the construction, operation, and advantages of the invention will readily be understood.

Of course I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the precise details of construction herein shown and described, and

whereby both bar and rod are bent around,

the latter, substantially as shown in Fig. 4, a strengthening-piece placed between the front bar and the back rod or spring, and a casing secured to the back rod and adapted to hold the strengthening -.piece in place, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM JACKSON BLACK. Witnesses:

J. WJDAVIs, M. O. E. ETHERIDGE. 

